Shakereh Khaleeli
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Shakereh Namazie (born August 27th, 1947 -missing April 1991 declared deceased May 1994 when her body was exhumed). Shakereh was the daughter of late Gulam Hussain Namazie and Begum Gauhar Taj Namazie ( youngest daughter of the late Diwan of Mysore and Jaipur, Sir Mirza Ismail).
Shakereh's first husband Akbar Mirza Khaleeli is retired Senior IFS officer who was the Indian Ambassador to Iran, Italy and High Commissioner to Australia. They have four daughters Zeebundeh, Sabah, Rehane and Essmath Khaleeli.
In 1991 Sabah (Shakereh's second daughter) found it impossible to locate her mother. Despite repeated requests about Shakereh's whereabouts to second husband Murali Manohar Mishra alias Swami Shradhananda he would consistently deviate a proper answer. In 1992 Sabah's anxiety grew and she filed for a habeas corpus at the Ashok Nagar Police Station in Bangalore, Karnataka. For three years the Swami evaded questions from the Family, Friends and Legal Authorities of the State. Lived in Bangalore like a King, pretending his wife was on a perpetual holiday.
In May 1994 the Police of Karnataka finally found Shakereh's body (rather skeletal remains) buried deep in the courtyard of her own house. Shakereh's murder was one of the most heinous crimes of Indian Criminal History when disclosed and shook the Nation.
Shakereh was placed in the coffin like box on April 28th, 1991. She had been drugged to sleep, placed on a matteress within a coffin like box and covered with another mattress and suffocated to death. Unconscious and boxed into a constricted space buried by the man whom she trusted implicitly. When Shakereh's skelatal remains were recovered and the matteress removed one of her hands was found clutching the mattress which lay below her. The side of the box was scratched with her nails perhaps in an attempt to get out perhaps suffocating in the last pangs of breath. The Swami was taken into judicial custody after accepting the crime.
The case also became an important milestone in the Indian judicial system as being the first case where the exhumation process was videographed. The case was also the first time that DNA tests and videotapes of the exhumation were taken as evidence in India.
On May 21st, 2005 the Civil and Sessions Judge B.S.Totad sentenced the Swami with a verdict of Capital Punishment. ``'He shall be hanged to death, the judge ordered. Shraddhananda betrayed no emotions as he stood in the dock, his head drooping as always. "From the facts and circumstances of the case, it is clear that the said murder has created such a fear in the minds of the family and in the community to live peacefully in society. There are no mitigating circumstances or factors to award a lesser punishment. After taking into consideration the facts and circumstances of the case and having regard to the nature of the methodology in committing the murder for gain, it is a fit case for capital punishment', the order read. ``I am of the opinion that it falls under the bracket of the rarest of the rare cases and hence he be sentenced to death, the judge observed in the 300-page judgment. The judge directed the jail authorities not to execute the death sentence till confirmation from the high court.
In the High Court on September 12th, 2005 a two bench Judge comprising of Justices S.R. Bannurmath and K.C. Kabbin awarded the Death Penalty to Shradananda. Terming it the "rarest of rare cases", In their order, the division bench comprising Justices S G Bannurmath and A C Kabbin, said: "The accused had murdered his wife in a diabolical and a well-planned scheme. As such the death penalty imposed on him is liable to be confirmed. Anything less than a penalty of greatest severity for any serious crime is thought to be a measure of tolerance that is unwarranted and unwise. The sessions court is justified in awarding death penalty to the accused." Shraddhananda is a “menace to the society and beyond reform.In addition Justices S.R. Bannurmath and K.C. Kabbin stated “In our view, the death was not a violent act by a weapon or attack, but the act was more violent since the mind of such a scheming person can be dangerous.” "A person who plans in a cool and cunning manner ought to be hanged as there is no chance of his reformation. Shakereh was a helpless woman, and her trust was broken," the Bench said. “Such scheming persons cannot be reformed. His conduct before and after the crime shows that it (murder) had been planned methodically and carried out coolly and mercilessly. He has killed a person who had implicit faith in him and buried her unceremoniously,” the verdict said.
On 18th February 2006 Shradananda issued notice to the Karnataka Government on special leave petition (SLP) questioning the High Court judgment in September, 2005. The Supreme Court Bench of Justice Ashok Bhan and Justice Tarun Chatterjee, stayed the High Court judgment confirming the death sentence awarded by the High Court.
The Case is still pending Judgement from the Supreme Court and the Family is still waiting for Justice.
